As Many As 1,392 Massachusetts Layoffs Expected In August

As many as 1,392 Massachusetts layoffs are expected in August, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices filed with the state.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN, requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days' advance written notice of plant closings or mass layoffs.

This allows the MassHire Rapid Response team to assist the affected workers.

“The MassHire Rapid Response team works with companies to provide support services for impacted workers, including training and job fairs, individual meetings, and interview workshops," said a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

"Additionally, the MassHire Career Centers are ready to help impacted employees and other jobseekers with workforce services, resources, and other supports to help," the spokesperson said. Workers are encouraged to connect with their local MassHire Career Center to learn more about available services and next steps."

The number of layoffs listed in WARN notices likely will not be as high as the actual job cuts, as the layoffs may be contingent on the attempt to sell a business or the workers in question may be assigned to other positions.

Some of the forecasted layoffs started before August and will continue after.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, for example, the "largest life sciences employer in the state of Massachusetts," according to its website, planned to cut 247 jobs starting July 1 through the end of the year, WARN notice information shows.

The company also planned to eliminate 387 positions in other states, but Sonali Das, Takeda's lead counsel for U.S. Employment, said in a letter that the "numbers may evolve
as employees pursue and accept redeployment opportunities across Takeda’s global network. Should additional impacts be identified, we will supplement this notice to maintain full transparency."

Coca-Cola plans to lay off 175 workers starting Aug. 15 until it closes its Northampton plant by year's end.

"While employees have been aware of these plans for some time, the company is issuing formal notices now to provide as much advance notice as possible," a company spokesperson said in an email.

"The company is committed to supporting employees through this transition, including working closely with the state to identify new job opportunities," according to the email.

Smithfield Packaged Meats in Springfield is laying off 190 workers as it goes out of business. The reductions were to start in April and continue through Sept. 11.

Massachusetts' unemployment rate for June, the most recent month available, was 4.5%, exceeding the national rate of 4.2% but 0.1% lower than May.

See also:

• How MA Taxes Beer, Wine And Spirits, And How Those Industries Help Main Street
• As Many As 1,062 Massachusetts Layoffs In June

• List Of Companies Planning Layoffs This Week Include These MA Businesses
• Nearly 300 MA Layoffs Looming, With 4 More Employers Making Cuts
• Somerville Announces Large-scale Layoffs At City Hall